Three Chemistry Seniors Selected for Induction to Phi Beta Kappa
Erin Grela, Samuel Solomon, and Ruth Tweedy will join the nation’s oldest academic honor society.
The Xi Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa voted to invite 116 members of the Class of 2020 to membership in the Society in recognition of their excellent academic records and commitment to the objectives of a liberal education. Two members of the esteemed group who have received this notable achievement are graduating Chemistry majors:
Erin Grela of Weston, Massachusetts
Chemistry and Economics
Samuel Solomon of Rockville, Maryland
Chemistry and Biology, Physics
Ruth Tweedy of Walkerburn, Scotland
Chemistry
Founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary, Phi Beta Kappa (PBK) honors the nation’s most outstanding undergraduate students for excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. Only 10% of higher education institutions have PBK chapters, and fewer than 10% of students at these institutions are selected for membership. The Department is incredibly proud of these inductees and all of their illustrious achievements.
MIT’s own chapter, Xi of Massachusetts, annually elects students in their senior year of undergraduate study. Students do not apply for membership. Election is conducted by a faculty committee, which reviews the academic records of seniors to find students with superlative records and clear evidence of breadth in the liberal arts.
Several mechanical criteria may be of interest to you in choosing HASS and related subjects. Phi Beta Kappa members must have two years of a foreign language in college, three years in high school, a combination thereof, or be a native speaker of a language other than English. Majors in engineering must show clear evidence of depth and breadth in their selection of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) and related courses. Generally, members will have more than the required eight HASS courses.
